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You'll help researchers gather the data they need to best manage the park and make sure all its species thrive. For many years, wildlife of Malawi wasn't doing so well: poachers and habitat destruction reduced populations of many to near-extinction. Then the government started an intensive conservation program aimed at reintroducing iconic species such as the rhino, leopard, and hyena. The Majete Wildlife Reserve is home to a major rehabilitation project, and, as a member of this team, you will help to monitor the reintroduction of native species.

Since 2003, more than 2,500 animals from 14 different species have been reintroduced in Majete. You'll check up on these animals as you walk the park during the day and drive through at night, counting and observing all of the creatures you see. You'll also conduct waterhole counts, during which the team stakes out a spot where animals congregate to make observations. You might also visit to a local school and spend time sorting through camera-trap images, which have already revealed surprises: species the scientists didn't know were in the reserve, and even some poachers that got found out on film.

You'll learn about and do a wide variety of research activities on this expedition, but two things are a constant: you'll see many of Africa's most well-known animals each day as you work, and you'll help make the reserve a safer, healthier place for them in the future.

Duration

Lead scientists

Accommodations and food

Why the research is important

Why the research is important

This research will help make Majete a model wildlife reserve that also supports local communities.

Can African wildlife successfully return to their native habitat? Your research will help answer that question.

You'll be part of one of the first research initiatives in the reserve, which is critical to understanding how reintroduced species are faring and what management decisions will help keep the reserve as a whole healthy. For example, scientists recently observed that more hyenas than were previously thought make their home in Majete. The park, then, has significant populations of at least three carnivores (hyenas, lions, and leopards), not just of lions and leopards. Park management had planned to introduce more lions, but might now reconsider to make sure prey species like antelope aren't overstressed.

You'll help with some of the following research: monitoring the success of reintroduced predators (lion and leopard) and their impact on prey species, determining the impact of large herbivores (elephant, buffalo, and rhino) on the habitat, studying the population dynamics and distribution of the spotted hyena, studying how the reintroduced black rhino population is faring in regard to birth and survival rates vs. death rates, determining how many hyenas are in the reserve, and what their habits are.

Your work will help make Majete a model wildlife reserve. The reserve also supports local communities through tourism and educational opportunities, so you will have a positive impact on the people of Malawi as well as the animals.

You will have an important part to play in gathering critical information about animal behavior.

About the research area

Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi, Africa

Malawi is known as the Land of the Lake. Lake Malawi, home to an incredible array of fish species, follows the contours of the Rift Valley along the nation’s eastern border for 363 miles (584 kilometers). To the west of the lake are no fewer than five national parks, four wildlife reserves, and over 70 protected forest reserves. Malawi has stunning topography, ranging from the heights of the grassland-covered Nyika Plateau in the north to the Shire Valley in the south, where the Majete Wildlife Reserve is located. Mt. Mulanje, a spectacular 250-square-mile (650-square-kilometer) massif, rises in dramatic isolation above the Phalombe Plains, southeast of the expedition rendezvous city of Blantyre. It is topped by the 9,850-foot (3002-meter) Sapitwa Peak, the highest point in central Africa.

Majete Wildlife Reserve is home to lions, leopards, buffaloes, elephants, and rhinos, as well as a large number of antelopes and more than 300 species of birds along the Mkurumadzi and Shire Rivers. Take a guided nature walk, birding walk, or night drive, or climb Majete Hill to take in views of the Shire Valley. Or explore attractions such as Kapichira Falls, Murchison Cataracts, and the Shire River, where you can go fishing. Your team may also be invited to visit Ndakwera village, enjoy a traditional dance performance, or tour the local sugar estate and factory.

Majete Wildlife Reserve, Malawi

Daily life in the field

Itinerary

Day 1: Rendezvous at Chileka International Airport and drive to Majete Wildlife Reserve. Settle in to accommodations.

Days 2–5: Daily activity includes:

• Tracking wildlife

• Waterhole observations

• Tracking wildlife

• Visit to local school

Day 6: Recreational day (may include resting, a sugar estate visit, or community tours)

Days 7–9: See daily activities above

Day 10: Community and school visit day

Day 11: Complete fieldwork, recreational afternoon.

Day 12: Trip back to Chileka International Airport

You’ll start your expedition by all the training you need to participate. Then you'll:

Track wildlife. On foot or from a vehicle, roam the reserve to count and observe elephants, rhinos, lions, antelopes, and other wildlife. The team will sometimes go out with a spotlight at night to look for the nocturnal animals.

Observe animals at waterholes. During the dry season, spend a day or two by waterholes counting and observing the animals you see.

Visit a local school. Help with teach kids about conservation and about your home country.

Work with camera traps. Download photographs of animals from camera traps (cameras mounted around the reserve that automatically take pictures of passing animals), sort according to species, and identify individual animals.

Monitor plants. Using photographs and by comparing exclosure plots (small, fenced-in areas that keep herbivores out) to unenclosed parts of the reserve, track of how plants are faring across the reserve.

Organize data. Enter and begin to analyze the data you collect.

You'll get a great variety of experiences on this expedition, all while helping to gather critical information about animal behavior.

ACTIVITY LEVEL

MODERATE

The Scientists

Join Dr. Leslie in Malawi and learn about poaching that once was rife in the Majete Wildlife Reserve.

MEET THE LEAD SCIENTIST

Alison

Leslie

Senior Lecturer, Department of Conservation Ecology and Entomology, Stellenbosch University

ABOUT Alison Leslie

Dr. Leslie studies a broad range of species with a common goal to develop management plans for governments, farmers, and wildlife organizations. Dr. Leslie has worked with many Earthwatch volunteers in South Africa, Botswana, and Zambia. She is also a well-known TV personality, having worked with National Geographic television, the BBC, and several other documentary producers.

Accommodations and Food

Accommodations and Food

Furnished tents

Home-cooked African food

Your wildlife-viewing opportunities won't end when field work does. Teams stay at the research camp in the Majete Wildlife Reserve, (safely) ensconced in the wilderness for the whole expedition (one team had to stay in camp to let a herd of elephants pass by undisturbed, for example). You'll sleep in individual tents that have cots and basic furniture. Hot showers and electricity are available.

When you’re eating, relaxing, or taking in presentations and workshops, you’ll gather in the open-air communal lounge. The nearby lodge offers pool privileges, while a small, reserve-owned restaurant and tuck shop makes it easy to supplement available food, though African-style meals are ample. You’ll enjoy full-scale hot breakfasts, a variety of lunch options, and traditional African dinners cooked on an open fire. Meals will include fresh fish (when available), beef, chicken, beans with fresh vegetables, rice, and nshima (a traditional maize dish).

“An Experience I Will Always Treasure”

Working side by side with wildlife conservationists dedicated to protecting and restoring Africa’s native wildlife was an inspirational experience. The expedition was extremely well run and of the highest quality. From day one, our volunteer group was welcomed and included in every facet of the research being conducted. My favorite moments included glimpsing a shy and reclusive bushbuck drinking from a waterhole at dawn, bouncing along a game trail in the back of a truck, and encountering a herd of elephants browsing noisily behind my tent. We also had the unique privilege of teaching a group of schoolchildren about elephants. (Handy to have three teachers in the group!) Upon our arrival, the local villagers literally ran up to our group smiling and waving – the friendliest people I have ever met! The most remarkable part of this expedition, however, was the obvious camaraderie between Dr. Alison, Charli, and Willem and the care taken by them to nurture our group. Meals were prepared with loving care from fresh local fruits and vegetables. Evenings often included leisurely campfire discussions and a braai. The team even built in times where we could luxuriate by the pool and enjoy the sunset over the Shire River. This was my first Earthwatch trip and it certainly set the bar very high. My recommendation is to sign up for “Animals of Malawi” as soon as possible. Otherwise you will miss out on what could be one of the best opportunities of your life.

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Diana Davis|8/31/2016

“Malawi is for Wildlife Lovers!”

Malawi is a country trying to recover its natural heritage. This expedition helps by monitoring the population of animals in Majete Wildlife Reserve. Basically it's like going on safari but having to count the animals. You sit at waterholes and count animals, you drive around and count animals, you walk through the brush (and it's a vigorous hike!) and count animals. What's not to love?

And the nights? Lying in your tent listening to the sounds of the wildlife moving through the camp - you might hear hyenas calling, or lions in the distance, or the bizarre sounds of bushbabies. Awesome!

You need to be in shape for the bushwalks but this is a trip to remember!

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Jennifer McDonald|8/17/2016

“Part of a Family”

After 12 days I felt like I could stay several more months. Majete is a beautiful place to spend time living outdoors and observing the natural world. The research team at Majete is capable of making you feel like part of the research family. This expedition is a purposeful use of time, where the days of counting at a watering hole are worth every moment.

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Candice Francis|8/8/2016

“Be a Part of Something Special”

Conservation seems like an impossible task at times but if you come to Majete and realize that the magnificent animals that you see today simply did not exist in this place just a few years ago, you can understand the importance of the work that is being done here. Dr. Leslie's teams have made a huge contribution to the recovery of species here and continue to help shape conservation and management practices here and other places as well where species have been decimated. Your day in the field may result in nothing more than a dot on a graph in a scientific paper, but it is linking all of those dots together that can help change the world.

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Susan Tachna|7/25/2016

“Trip of a Lifetime”

This expedition fulfilled a long-standing dream: to experience some of Africa’s big game in the wild while making a contribution to ensure their survival. I could not have asked for more. I learned about the various mammals in Majete Wildlife Reserve and had a blast doing so. We counted, sexed and estimated ages of animals. We recorded data in the field by day and input data into the computer in the evenings. We had plenty of time to share laughs, read, enjoy a swim at a nearby hotel pool, and simply hang out in the lapa together. The research team tended to every detail. They trained us, fed us, provided wonderful cultural experiences for us, and ensured our comfort and safety. I have the utmost respect for Alison Leslie and her graduate students. Seeing elephants in the wild and dancing with locals in a nearby village stand head-and-shoulders above any sort of experience I could have imagined. I’d return in a heartbeat!

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Carol Beasley|Sunday, September 21, 2014

“Absolutely Great”

Great experience! Leaders FaFa and Jeanette are super smart and fun. Park staff were great—open and friendly. We saw loads of wildlife, often at close range as when the nyala, elephants and warthogs wandered near and in the research camp. Be open to the “unadvertised” experiences—lots of interesting birds, extra activities (like tagging along on an attempt to radio-collar a hyena), watching for small as well as large animals, enjoying the sounds, sights, smells and textures of this special environment. Briefing document is mostly accurate—except they require closed shoes in camp. They were not kidding about climbing a tree—our scout told us to climb when he spotted a rhino on our first walking transect! For a preview of the weather, consult the predictions at Chikwawa, not Blantyre which is at higher altitude and much cooler than Majete. Our group had several chances to enjoy some R&R at the Ngoro resort, a short drive from the reserve, low key and lovely place for a drink, meal, and dip in their beautiful pool. On walking transects I wished I had a collapsible trekking stick—to push thorny branches out of the way and help with clambering in and out of stream beds. The other “wish I'd known” was arranging to stay at either the fancy (Mkulumadzi) or more moderate (Thawale) resort for a couple of days after our volunteer stint for complete relaxation and a bit more pampering. If you’re considering this trip, I think you’ll find it interesting, unique, and fun.

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Douglas Gilpin|Friday, September 05, 2014

“Animals of Malawi in the Majete Wildlife Reserve”

This was another enjoyable African expedition with Earthwatch. The researchers at our camp were very knowledgeable and fun to be around. Our camp was well run and the tents were comfortable and very sturdy. We even had showers and limited hot water (solar heated). The activities were a mix of transect walking, game drive viewing, water hole watches, and camera trap maintenance, all of which gave us the chance to see many animals at fairly close range. Our recreation day allowed several choices. My team all chose a visit to a nearby village where we saw traditional dances and drumming, as well as a variety of village life. As usual, the logistics to make our expedition possible were very well taken care of by Earthwatch.

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Kenneth Dubuque|Thursday, August 14, 2014

“Working hard and having fun in Malawi”

It was hard work getting up early, living in a tent and taking less-than-hot showers but it was worth it. Locating and observing a wide variety of wildlife in an unspoiled setting in vehicles, on foot and on your rear was really satisfying and educational. The scientists led by Allison Leslie were very informative, supportive and fun. We were also able to connect with the Reserve staff and local community via visits and a soccer game.. The team was great (as they always are), even putting up with my humor. I really felt like I was contributing. Thanks to the team and Allison, Kate, FaFa and Jennette, as well as Sausage!

This was my fifth expedition and I will be planning a sixth.

Ken Dubuque, 7/5/14 team

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Carol Baker|Thursday, February 06, 2014

“Good trip and not difficult”

The Malawi trip was a very nice one, no problems and great people both on staff and in the area. Work was varied and not exceptionally difficult. I was there in August, which is the start of the "cool, dry" season - it was dry but temps were in the 90's; everyone said that was very early for heat.

I did not take the rabies shots, There were no dogs in the camp or at the campground and very few in the villages some miles away. In endemic species there is no history of rabies in the reserve.

The public campground is community operated, is just steps from the research camp and usually is "Earthwatch only". During our stay, there was one overnight group in the raised shelters across the campground for one night and private campers for one night only twice. I actually enjoyed talking to them for the limited amount of time we had together in the public area. The public campground provides the tents which are quite spacious (for tents), furnished with a wooden cot and mattress, small bedside table, and woven reed mats. You can stand up in the tents, which also have a covered "porch" at the entrance. The washhouse is segregated by sex, with each side having two toilets and two toilets, with one washbasin.

Our only "issue" was one night when we couldn't get back to the research camp for about an hour because an elephant herd had moved in to browse - we had to wait for them to move on.